CURTIS HENRY
Distribution Manager
O.K., Syracuse, we get it. You belong here.
It was no longer than two weeks ago that the nation was mulling over its fresh brackets with several questions to be asked of the NCAA tournament selection committee. Among other questions, there was one in particular that kept surfacing: How in the world did Syracuse get an at-large selection?
Better yet, how were the Orange awarded a No. 10 seed? One could certainly understand the committee wanting a team like Syracuse in the tournament. However, the Orange definitely seemed like a last-four in type of team that warranted a play-in tournament game in Dayton, Ohio. Instead, the team was awarded a game against Dayton in the round of 64.
Then, a funny thing happened. Syracuse blew out Dayton. The scoreline from that game will always read 70-51 in favor of Syracuse, but that doesn’t really do justice to how badly Syracuse beat Dayton.
The Flyers struggled all afternoon with the two-three zone that Syracuse has boasted for the last four decades under Head Coach Jim Boeheim. In truth, Dayton never showed up to play that game. It was almost too easy for Syracuse.
Then, another funny thing happened. Michigan State — the perceivable favorites to win the tournament in the eyes of many, and Syracuse’s assumed second round opponent — lost. The team lost to Middle Tennessee State, a 15 seed. The world fell into a state of hysteria. Hell froze over. March Madness had begun, and its benefactor was the Syracuse Orange.
Syracuse beat down Middle Tennessee and drew 11 seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. The Orange would stage an inspired late comeback to beat Gonzaga and would face their biggest test Sunday night against University of Virginia, the one seed in the midwest region.
Yet going into the matchup with Virginia, Syracuse had yet to silence many of its critics. It was one of two teams in the Elite Eight who had yet to play a team seeded higher than seven, with Notre Dame being the other. It had, to this point, been gifted the easiest schedule of all Elite Eight teams.
Beating Virginia would clearly silence those critical of Syracuse’s presence in the tournament.
Down 15 points halfway through the second half, Syracuse would stage one of the most dominant second half defensive performances in the history of the tournament. Over the final 9:30 of game time, Syracuse would hold the number one seed in the region to a mere eight points en route to making a comeback.
By the time the clock was at zeroes, the Orange had a six-point lead and had clinched a trip to the Final Four. They are the first 10 seed to ever accomplish the feat.
Syracuse running the show and making it this far does one thing effectively: It sets aside all criticism for the tournament selection committee.
It no longer matters that ‘Cuse had 13 regular season losses, including losses to Georgetown and St. John’s. It no longer matters that ‘Cuse lost five of its last six heading into the tournament, including a one-and-done appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. No one remembers those things. They don’t matter anymore.
Joining Syracuse in Houston will be Villanova, Oklahoma and North Carolina. The four schools will play in the national semifinals on April 2, with the first game tipping off, roughly, at 6 p.m.